Category Archives: Textual study

The Linen Sash

Posted on September 14, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

“Go and get yourself a linen sash, and put it around your waist, but do not wash it in water” (Jeremiah 13:1). These instructions were given by the LORD to Jeremiah. Jeremiah went and did according to the word of … Continue reading →

Posted in Clothing, Fellowship, pride, prophets, Textual study | Tagged anathoth, babylonia captivity, benefits of captivity, captivity changed Israel, chaldean captivity, cling to God, esv study bible, euphrates, hidden sash, hold fast, hold fast to God's word, Jeremiah 13:1-ff, Jeremiah visual aid, linen sash, listen to God v. follow own heart, niv, obedience, parah, perat, perath, pride, robert taylor jr., visual aids, wayne jackson | Leave a comment

Kitchens and Eating in the Building

Posted on July 12, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

In the 1960’s and 1970’s , it became common for new church buildings to include a kitchen and “multi-purpose room” or “fellowship hall” (note – I am not enthusiastic about this last designation because it tends to reduce the idea … Continue reading →

Posted in Fellowship, Textual study | Tagged 1 Corinthians 11:22, 1 Corinthians 11:34, 1960s, 1970s, 2 Peter 2:13, agape feasts, anti-ism, benevolence, book early christians speak, church controversy, church issues, clement of alexander, Corinthians 11, do you not have houses to eat in?, eating in building, edification, evangelism, everett ferguson, fellowship, fellowship halls, issues in the church, Jude 12, kitchens, let him eat at home, liberalism, love feasts, multipurpose rooms, Romans 14:17, Romans 14:19, sarcasm, scruples, the work of the church, unity | 1 Comment

Personal Responsibility

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

On an evangelistic trip to Jamaica some years ago, I heard a song which has stuck with me. I do not remember all the words. However, the song said, “If I should die and be lost in the end, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Endurance, Family, God's Sovereignty, Judgment, Textual study | Tagged consequences v. guilt of sin, dont blame others, Ezekiel 18, Galatians 6:8, God is soverign, Jamaica, Matthew 7:22-23, personal responsibility, Repentance, righteous deeds not remembered, righteous man has wicked son, song if i should die and be lost in the end, song Nobody's fault but mine, the apostate one, the repentant one, the righteous man, the righteous son, the wicked son, wick man has righteous son | Leave a comment

Three Roles to Consider

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

I want to highlight three roles which are mentioned in the book of Ezekiel. These roles are: the watchman, the hearers, and the shepherds. 1. The Watchman (Ezekiel 3, 33). The prophet or preacher is compared to a watchman. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Organization, Elders and Deacons, Preachers, prophets, Textual study | Tagged 2 Kings 9:16-20, 2 Samuel 18:24-33, attendancecare for the weak, bishops, book principles amd perils of leadership, city walls, corrupt leaders, duty, elders, Ezekiel 22:23-31, Ezekiel 3, Ezekiel 33, Ezekiel 34, failure of leadership, franklin camp, fruitful church, guard flock, hearer, hearing, individual needs, Isaiah 56:9-12, Isaiah 9:16, Israel and Judah's failed leadership, james rowe, Jeremiah 23:11, Jeremiah 6:13-14, Jeremiah 8:10-11, judges, kings, lead not drive, leaders, Micah 3:11, milk and meat, pastors, preacher, priests, prophet, protect the flock, respect of church in community, responsibility, shepherds, song you never mentioned Him to me, three roles to consider, value of being a christian, walls, warning the sinner, watchman, what to do with the message | Leave a comment

Drink Ye All of It and Other Reflections

Posted on March 31, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

It has been over three years since Covid-19 was first reported in the U.S.A. January 20, 2020 was the date of the first lab-confirmed case in the United States, according to the CDC (CDC Museum Covid-19 Timeline, cdc.gov). Here are … Continue reading →

Posted in Fellowship, Lord's Supper, Love, Priorities, Textual study, worship | Tagged 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 Corinthians 14, 2 Timothy 2:15, Acts 20:7, care in study, cdc.gov, center of disease control, corona virus, covid, covid 19, drink ye all of it, edification, Ephesians 4:1-3, Ephesians 5:17-20, esv, focus in worship assembly, good ground, Hebrews 10:25-26, it is easy to forget why we come together, it is easy to let weeds grow, it is easy to misunderstand others, it is easy to misunderstand scripture, January 20 2020, John 4:24, kjv, lavistachurchofchrist.org, longsuffering, love, Luke 8, Matthew 26:27, nasb, niv, nkjv, opinions, parable of four soils, parable of sower, patience, remembering Jesus death, weeds, worship | Leave a comment

Stand In the Gap

Posted on March 8, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

The city of Constantinople (modern Istanbul) was well protected. It was positioned on a horn or peninsula that was surrounded by water. It could be reached from the Black Sea, in the north, by the Bosporus strait. It could be … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Influence, prophets, Textual study | Tagged 2 Kings 3:14, Acts 27, agean sea, Attila the Hun, black sea, blues, book of Ezekiel, book the prophets, bosporus strait, byzantium, chariot racing teams, chariot teams save city of Constantinople, constantantinople, Constantine, constantine flavius, dardanelles strait, Ezekiel 22:30, fall of civilizations YouTube, Genesis 18:16-32, greens, heritagedaily.com, huns, istanbul, jim mcguiggan, make a wall, Mediterranean sea, perserving effect of righteous, rebuild walls, sea of marmara, stand in gap, Theodosius 2, walls of constantinople, walls of theodosius, wayne jackson, worldhistory.com | Leave a comment

Isaiah’s Vision (Isaiah 6)

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

When one get a glimpse of the glory of God, it can change his life. It may change how one views himself. It may change how one views others. It did for Isaiah. Look Up Isaiah had a vision of … Continue reading →

Posted in evangelism, God, Godhead, Humility, Jesus, Preachers, pride, prophets, Sin, Textual study | Tagged 2 Chronicles 26, altar of burnt offering, altar of incense, BDBG, damah, david brown, duty, evangelism, forgivness od sin, gospel advocate, gospel advocate annual lesson 1957, here am I send me, holy holy holy, houston college of bible, humility, I Am, I am undone, Isaiah 6, Isaiah 6:1-4, Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah 6:6-7, Isaiah 6:8-9, Isaiah's commission, Isaiah's vision, Jesus and Isaiah's vision, Jesus divine language, Jesus is the I am, Jesus the first and last, Jesus the heart searcher, John 12:37-43, keil delitzsch, leprosy, lester kamp, look in and around, look out, look up, Luke 5:8, name Isaiah, peter reaction to Jesus, preincarnate Christ, preincarnate Jesus, preincarnate word, pride, seeing God, seraph, seraphim, the first and the last, the glory of God, the heart searcher, the Lord high and lifted up, unclean lips, Uzziah, woe, woe is me | Leave a comment

More Woes in Isaiah

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

The word “woe” appears 21 times in the book of Isaiah. The word “woe” is an interjection of sorrow or grief. It is sometimes used as a warning. We have considered six of these “woes,” which occur in Isaiah 5, … Continue reading →

Posted in God's Sovereignty, God`s eye, pride, prophets, Textual study | Tagged Amos 4:1, Amos 6:6, ariel, arrogance, assyria, beauty fading, book of Isaiah, corrupt leadership, cyrus, david brown, drunkenness, economic prosperity, ephraim, fatherless, frank chesser, God's Sovereignty, going down to egypt, houston college of bible, Isaiah 10:1-2, Isaiah 1:11-15, Isaiah 1:16-23, Isaiah 28:1, Isaiah 29:1, isaiah 29:13, Isaiah 29:15, Isaiah 30:1-2, Isaiah 31:1, Isaiah 33:1, Isaiah 45:9-10, israel, judah, justice, lack of faith, leagalized robbery, Micah 6:8, military alliances, pervert justice, potter and clay, preying on weak, pride, Proverb 16:18, rob needy of justice, secrets of men, the poor, tyler young, unpleasing worship, wayne jackson, widows and orphans, woe to crown of pride, woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, woe to those who do works in darkness, woe to those who go down to egypt, woe to those who hide counsel, woe to those who rely on horses, woe to those who strives with his maker, woe to you who plunder, woes in Isaiah | Leave a comment

Speak Smooth Things

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

“This is a rebellious people… who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way, turn aside from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Preachers, Preaching, prophets, Textual study | Tagged 1 Kings 22:14, 1 Timothy 4:2, Acts 10:33, Acts 20:26-27, do not prophesy right thing, do not see, duty of prophets, ezekiel, Ezekiel 33:8, frank chesser, hearing, Holy One of Israel, homer hailey, idols, isaiah, Isaiah 30:9-11, jeremiah, Jeremiah 22:29, listeners to prophets, micaiah, paul, prophesy deceits, self affirming message, sodom ans gomorrah, speak smooth things, timothy, turn aside from the path, wine | Leave a comment

From Scarlet to White

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Bryan Hodge

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:16-17). This is … Continue reading →

Posted in Forgiveness, Grace, Mercy, prophets, Textual study | Tagged 1 John 1:7-9, Acts 22:16, amway loc, as wool, cleaning blood, cleansing products, clorox, fanny crosby, fatherless, isaiah, Isaiah 1:16-18, justice, oxiclean, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 7:13-14, shout, song though yours sins be as scarlet, stain removal, though they are red as crimson, though your sins are like scarlet, tide, wash from sin, white as snow, widows and orphans, woolite | Leave a comment